


The Art of Avoiding a Jedi

by AHopefulVoice



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 19:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20857130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHopefulVoice/pseuds/AHopefulVoice
Summary: The large ballroom was filled with the voices of the drunk and happy.  Mara Jade was not drunk enough to be happy.Leia Organa Solo throws a birthday party, and Mara Jade will do anything to avoid one Jedi Master.





	The Art of Avoiding a Jedi

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into Star Wars fan fiction, though this was my first fandom twenty years ago. I’ve recently jumped on the Luke/Mara bandwagon and I am HERE FOR IT.
> 
> I’ve worked on this for about a month, and I’m actually quite proud of it. This takes place a short time after the Thrawn Trilogy.
> 
> Please, enjoy.

**The Art of Avoiding a Jedi**

The large ballroom was filled with the voices of the drunk and happy.Mara Jade was not drunk enough to be happy.

She had allowed herself to have one glass of wine because this was a _business meeting_.She was not here because she wanted to be here.In fact, Mara would rather be anywhere else than here.She would even return to that frozen wasteland on Ilum by herself for two months, if it meant she did not have to be here, on Coruscant, in one of the ballrooms of the former Imperial Palace.

Mara had grown up here.She may not support what was left of the Empire she had served so dutifully for most of her life, but that did not mean she felt comfortable having a party in the place she associated with acceptance and belonging.

Technically, this was a gathering of Leia Organa Solo’s closest family and friends (all two hundred of them) to celebrate her twenty-eighth birthday.Mara had been invited, she suspected, to be polite, or perhaps as favor to her sometimes-employer, Talon Karrde.That’s really why Mara was here: to meet up with Ghent, an expert slicer who also worked for Karrde but freelanced out to the New Republic.

Her conversation with Ghent had taken all of four minutes, with only a brief shaking of hands and transfer of a data chip as evidence that anything had happened.

Now, Mara was bored as hell.

“Promise me you’ll stay for at least three hours,” Karrde had implored her when he told her that Ghent had some information for her.“It’s respectable to stay at a party for three hours.”

Mara had rolled her eyes but acquiesced all the same.She respected Karrde too much to go back on her word.

Therefore, Mara was here.And bored.

“I’m sure Luke will turn up sooner or later,” said a voice from Mara’s right.She jumped, more surprised that she was caught off guard than anything else.

Looking up, Mara said, “Hello, Solo.”He had two glasses of wine in his hands.Reaching for one, she continued, “Is that for me?You shouldn’t have.”

“You looked like you could use a drink,” Han Solo said.“Leia said I couldn’t break out the hard liquor until after dinner, so wine will have to do.”

She took a slow sip, savoring the dry taste on her tongue.Her eyes returned to the beings milling about the room.“I’m sure you’ve got your own stash somewhere.”Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Solo smirk and drum his fingers against his pocket.It didn’t surprise her that he brought his own flask.It disappointed her that she didn’t think to do the same.

But no—this was a _business meeting_, and just because that meeting was over didn’t give her an excuse to join in on the revelry.That said, a second glass of rare and expensive wine wouldn’t hurt.

Solo pursed his lips as she took another sip, decidedly not looking at him.“Like I said,” he told her, “I’m sure Luke’ll show up any minute now.”

“And I care why?” asked Mara, unable to keep her eyes from flicking to the doors.

The older man chuckled.“He mentioned hoping to run into you next time you were on Coruscant, and I just thought this was a likely occasion.Didn’t want you running off before seeing him.I’m assuming you’re only here for the night.”

Mara set her jaw.So Skywalker wanted to talk to her.That didn’t mean she had to talk to him.

Even though a considerable time had passed since Wayland, Mara still felt uncomfortable around Luke Skywalker.It was true that the Emperor’s last command was gone—_fulfilled_—and Mara no longer felt the urge to kill the Jedi, but that didn’t mean she particularly enjoyed being around him.Sure, he was smart and kind and relatively entertaining, but Mara refused to owe anybody.Training with Skywalker meant she would owe him.

Her freedom meant more to her than control over Force powers that came and went at the most inconvenient times.Mara had learned long ago that she could only rely on herself.As helpful as Skywalker had been on Wayland, and even when they snuck aboard the _Chimaera_ to rescue Karrde, Mara did her best work alone, like she always had.Other people just got in the way.

“I’ll be sure to say hello before I head out of the system,” Mara said, a familiar tingle in the back of her mind signaling Skywalker’s entrance to the room.She slid up her own shields to mask her location as best she could.Not that it would work.Skywalker had a sort of gift for finding her in a crowd, as frustrating as that was.

“Speak of the devil,” muttered Han.

Mara took a step forward.“Excuse me,” she said, leaving the ex-smuggler behind her.When she was across the room and managed to find a deserted chair along the wall, she chanced a look back at where Solo was.Skywalker had joined him.She saw Skywalker ask Solo something, but he just shrugged in return.

Releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Mara downed the entire glass of wine.She didn’t really know why she was avoiding Skywalker, but she knew that if she wanted to keep her sanity tonight, she needed to stay away from the Jedi.

This part of the room was deep in shadow thanks to the balcony protruding overhead.Any eyes that roamed over here would be distracted by the (admittedly very talented) orchestra playing from the mezzanine above her.When she had been watching them earlier, Mara recognized several musicians from the Imperial Philharmonic, which had been disbanded after the New Republic’s taking of Coruscant.

Maybe she could catch an opera while she was on-planet...

There was no time for that.She had a job to do now that she had Ghent’s data chip with the information Karrde wanted.If that job took her out of the system before Skywalker could intercept her, then that was his problem.

Smothering a grin, Mara looked to the entrance.No sign of the Jedi anywhere in the vicinity.Perfect.She would sit here for a few more minutes, then slowly edge her way around the room until she could make her exit.Karrde had requested that she stay for three hours.He never said she had to stay in the _ballroom_ for three hours.Surely the halls or balconies or supply closets counted as being present.

Mara vaguely recognized the music being played by the orchestra.It was a piece from one of her dance master’s favorite ballets, and Mara’s feet itched to move.Rooted to her seat, Mara finished off her glass of wine, enjoying the sounds of the strings interchanging with the winds.

She remembered dancing for hours on end, rehearsals intermixed with martial arts and weapons lessons, languages and coding.Her education had been unorthodox compared to the rest of the galaxy, but it gave Mara more life skills than normal schooling would have.Skills like perseverance and integrity and determination.

And hiding in plain sight.

Skywalker walked within five feet of Mara, but said nothing.Didn’t even look at her.(Why was that so disappointing?)

Once his back was turned to her, Mara stood and meandered over to a table covered in food, leaving her empty glass behind her.A Rodian in a smart-looking tuxedo held a tray of wine glasses, and Mara took one more, because what the hell.She really could never turn down a glass of _good_ wine, which this certainly was.Plus it kept her hands busy, because she didn’t trust her fingers not to fidget.

Skywalker always made her fidget.

“Trader Jade!” a suave voice called.

Recognizing the speaker from his tone, Mara turned, plastering what she knew was an incredibly fake-looking smile across her features.“Calrissian,” she said, “what a pleasure.”

“The pleasure,” Lando said, taking her hand in his and raising it to his lips, “is all mine.”

Mara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Would I be able to draw you onto the dance floor?” he asked.

Without hesitation, Mara replied, “Maybe later.I have some business to attend to right now, and I expect it to keep me fairly busy tonight.”

“But this is a party!” he argued.“Parties are wasted on workers.”

Mara grinned, and looked over Calrissian’s caped shoulder.A bartender was passing out shots (a libation she was certain came insistent courtesy of Han Solo) and taking one for himself after every three.“Maybe that’s why workers get wasted at parties.”

The man scowled.“Dammit, Wade, I told you not to do shots with—excuse me,” he interrupted himself, and hastened over to the bar, where a look of panic settled on the bartender’s face.

She allowed herself a full smile now, and returned to her quest of exiting the room.Mara threw back the rest of her glass of wine like it was a cheap whiskey and set the empty goblet on a passing waiter’s tray.That made three—four?—glasses of wine and her head was starting to feel a little light.

Someone must have spiked one, because three drinks was _nothing_ for Mara Jade.Maybe she needed to stay away from the wine.

Like she needed to stay away from Skywalker.

Because he would just try to talk to her and talk her into training with him to be a Jedi and talk about her past and their past and she _did not want to do it_.

There was a scoff from beside her, and an elderly woman stalked away.Mara realized she must have said that last bit out loud.Skywalker was making her crazy.

Mara willed her legs to carry her to the door, but she remained firmly in place.She couldn’t take her eyes off Skywalker, which was _annoying_.He was surrounded by a crowd, his arms gesturing wildly as he regaled them with some story that probably had to do with his heroics.So many stories of him as a hero, and she felt like she had heard them all.Between the trip to the _Chimaera_ and the trek across Wayland, Mara thought Luke Kriffing Skywalker had narrated his entire life to her.

She could practically see the swoons of the women that seemed to follow him everywhere.

Rolling her eyes, Mara stalked toward the door.Her spine tingled with the feeling of someone watching her, and there was a tentative brush against her mind.Kriff.

_Leave me alone, Skywalker_, she thought deliberately, slamming up an additional durasteel wall in her head.

Mara hated the idea of someone in her head, even briefly.She had spent more than half of her life with a voice in her head, commanding her actions and controlling her thoughts.She had no intention of ever connecting with anyone like that ever again, no matter how kind or handsome or full of light he was.

Her feet finally carried her closer to the door when a hand gripped her arm.Mara wrenched her arm free, snarling as she turned, only to see Leia Organa Solo smiling at her.She relaxed slightly.Ever since she saved Leia and her children in what had once been her home, Luke’s sister had been very kind to her.She didn’t deserve Mara’s foul mood.

“Han said you were here and I wanted to make sure I saw you before you left!” Leia said gently.

“I’m not leaving yet,” Mara said a little too quickly.Wincing at her own harsh tone, she added, “Happy birthday, by the way.”

Leia’s smile widened.“Thank you.You should say the same to Luke, since he’s here for once.I know he’d love to see you.”

Mara sighed.This was starting to feel like someone was plotting against her.“I’ll tell him if I run into him.”Leia seemed satisfied, so Mara began to back away, but bumped into someone.“Oh, for kriff’s sake,” she muttered under her breath.

There was a mild rumble followed by a brush of coarse hair against her bare shoulder, and Mara relaxed.The Wookie would leave her alone.

“Chewbacca,” she said in acknowledgement with a dip of her head.He growled what she assumed was her name in response, and Mara was about to ask how the latest _Falcon_ upgrades were coming (more out of politeness than interest considering her Shyriiwook was utter shavit) when her comm chimed.It was probably Karrde calling to see if she had finished with Ghent, inquiring when she would be returning to the _Wild Karrde_, et cetera, et cetera.“Excuse me,” she said, and backed away from the old friends.

This time, she made it to the hallway without being interrupted once.

Holding the comm up to her mouth, she said, “Jade.”

_“You looked like you could use an extraction,”_ a familiar voice said from both the receiver and down the hall.

Dread filled Mara’s stomach.“Skywalker,” she said in greeting, taking several slow steps toward him.She should have brought along another glass of wine.Or better yet, something stronger.Much, much stronger.

“Mara,” he said pleasantly.The Jedi gestured for her to follow him through an archway that she knew led out to a nice patio overlooking the gardens.She had once shot a man from this location.Skywalker didn’t need to know that.“Here,” Skywalker offered, a drink for her in his hand.

She couldn’t help but grin at the amber liquid sloshing in the glass.“Whiskey on ice,” she said, wondering if she should tell him she preferred it neat.“How could you have known?”

He smiled brightly at her, lit from behind by the sunset through the vines, and Mara inwardly winced.He was so damn _light _ all the time.“Han told me that the two of you had talked about liquor and I figured that your thigh holster could only hold either a blaster or a flask, and not both.And I know you never go anywhere unarmed.”

“Thinking about my legs, Skywalker?” she teased, hating that it was so_ easy_ to slip into this casual conversation that felt like friendship—or so she imagined.It wasn’t like she had very many friendships to compare this to.

His cheeks turned pink, and she watched his eyes track the glass as she raised it to her lips and took a drink.He was just so easy.“No,” he said, “just you.”

Something in Mara’s stomach flipped, and she felt her good mood slip out of reach.“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

Mara huffed.“Think about me.We aren’t friends.”

Skywalker jerked in response.“What do you mean we aren’t friends?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Mara replied, “This—” (she gestured between them) “—is not friendship.What you have with Solo and Calrissian is friendship.This is an alliance.”

She could see him wilt.His lips quirked before he said, “I just thought...after Wayland and everything, that we had gotten past the whole awkward enemies thing.”

Mara glared at him, anger and the urge to defend herself rising up her throat and spilling out her mouth like bile.“Just because I no longer have the Emperor in my head constantly telling me to kill you doesn’t mean we’re suddenly best friends.We don’t even know each other.”

“Not for lack of trying,” he pouted, and he seemed so young with that look on his face, like the teenager she knew he must have been at one point. 

Taken aback, Mara just stared at him.“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Skywalker sighed.“Nothing.I tried getting to know you during that trek across Myrkr, on our four day shuttle ride to the _Chimaera_, while hiking on Wayland.Even after that when we were back on Coruscant and you were setting up the Smugglers’ Alliance.”

It seemed impossible that anyone would _want _to get to know her.Once people heard ‘Imperial assassin,’ they tended to lose any interest.Leave it to Skywalker to want to befriend his would-be killer.Mara quickly swallowed the rest of the whiskey, enjoying the burn down her throat and the heat in her stomach.

Her head swam.Maybe all of this drinking in such a short amount of time was not her wisest idea.

But Skywalker just drove her to _madness_, and she didn’t even know why.

Overwhelmed, Mara took a step back and turned around, walking to the stone balustrade.She set her empty glass down and pressed her hands flat against the vine-covered rock, steadying herself.Her eyes burned from staring at the sunset before her as it dipped below the horizon, and she sensed Skywalker move beside her.

She sighed.

They stood in silence as the light slowly faded, surrounding them in a blanket of darkness, broken up by the twinkle of lights from the city around them.He gently placed his hand on hers, and Mara’s stomach swooped, plummeting to the center of the planet below.How could he do this to her—make her feel this way—when he could never be _hers_. 

That realization, that she _wanted_ him, made her feel sick.

“Mara,” he said, not unkindly.She wished he would snap at her, provoke her into a fight, because that would be easier than this churning in her stomach and itch in her fingers to touch him.She could run, but she loved the way her name sounded in his voice, the way his lips formed the letters, even when she wasn’t looking at him.

She looked at him.

His eyes were blue, like the oceans on Scarif, back before.Staring in them, Mara felt like she was sinking, or drowning.Dying.

Before she could stop herself, Mara’s hands were gripping his collar and her lips were on his.

Mara Jade had kissed a man before, but she’d never kissed such a _good_ man before.

Then—

She pulled herself away, turning and rushing several feet away.Knowing her face was flushed, Mara dug her fingernails into her palms and turned to face him.“I’m sorry,” she blurted out, “I’m drunk and I—”

But Skywalker was right in front of her.He took her hand, and kissed her.

Mara lost herself, dizzy and reeling.Her world collapsed until all that was left was the gentle, soft pressure on her lips, his thumb delicately brushing her knuckles.

It burned in her chest.

After a long moment, he leaned back to look down at her.With a smile, Skywalker said, “I’m completely sober.”

Mara rolled her eyes.“Damn Jedi trick.Sometimes it’s fun to be drunk.Sometimes it pays off.”

“Oh, I can get drunk,” said Skywalker.“But how do you think I led Rogue Squadron for so long without developing a high tolerance for alcohol?”

She pursed her lips, raising an eyebrow.“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Skywalker’s grin widened.“Are you asking me out?”

“No,” she said, perhaps a little too quickly.She was too busy looking at his lips, feeling the ghost of the kiss on hers, to flirt back.She wanted to kiss him again.

“Well,” he said, “can I ask you out?”

Mara looked back up at his eyes and her stomach jumped.She said nothing.

“You’re not gonna make this easy for me, are you?”

A wry smile spread across her face, and she shook her head.“Where’s the fun in that?”

A particularly strong breeze whipped around them, pushing some hair into Mara’s face.Skywalker lifted his hand and tucked the hair behind her ear, fingertips trailing her cheek deliciously, making a chill run down her spine.He leaned down again, as if to kiss her, but stopped.His lips brushed hers as he said, “Will you go back inside and have a drink with me?”

Mara laughed.“I don’t know if I’m ready for what people will say.I do have a certain reputation to uphold.”She meant it as a joke, but Mara knew there was some truth in it.Luke Skywalker was a legend, the leader of the New Jedi Order.One of the greatest people the galaxy had ever seen.She was one of the worst.

He kissed her lightly, then stepped away.“Well then, Trader Jade, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Skywalker had barely made it through the archway before Mara took a small step toward him.“Hang on a minute,” she said, “I’ll come with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was heavily inspired by a song that I’m a little embarrassed to name. If you can figure it out, kudos.


End file.
